Kaaimans River pump station receives R 16 Million worth of upgrade
The George Municipality is pleased to announce that the Kaaimans River Pump station upgrade project has begun. The project aims to enhance the mechanical and electrical components of the pump station and contribute to sustained and adequate raw water storage in the Garden Route Dam. The project is scheduled to be completed in June 2024.
According to the George Municipality’s Civil Engineering Department, the project was awarded to the successful contractor for an amount of just over R 16 million and is currently in the construction phase, with the key activities presently being the manufacturing, testing, and shipping of the various pumps, strainers (sieves), valves and electrical control equipment.
“Six (6) new submersible robust pumps will be installed in the sump in the river, which will abstract the water and pump it through strainers(sieves), to supply the six (6) new high-lift pumps. The pump station will operate in fully automated mode through sensing equipment which measures the river flow and adjusts the pumping rate according to the river flow rate, ensuring that at all times the environmental release of 35 l/s is sustained to flow down the river,” said Andre Scheepers, the Project Manager for Budget Facility for Infrastructure (BFI) in the George Municipality’s Civil Engineering Services Department.
The Kaaimans River Pump station was originally constructed in 1972 and pumped raw river water directly to the Old Water Treatment Plant. After the completion of the Garden Route Dam (GRD) in 1980, which receives and stores raw water from the Swart River and Kat River, the Kaaimans Pumpstation fell into disrepair. It has since been upgraded and the pumping main pipeline was changed to discharge into the GRD. Still, due to lack of adequate maintenance, it again deteriorated and is currently in disuse.
According to the Acting Director for George Municipality’s Civil Engineering Department, Lionel Daniels, the Water Use Licence issued by the Department of Water and Sanitation authorises the George Municipality to abstract a maximum of 2,77 million kilolitres per year and is limited to a maximum pumping rate of 405 litres per second at any given time. “This represents approximately 22% of the annual sustainable yield of the Garden Route Dam,” he said. “It is therefore imperative to upgrade the Kaaimans River Pump station to be again able to pump the Kaaimans River water into the GRD in times of good flow in the river and in doing so contribute to the sustained and adequate raw water storage in the dam.”
The project will be completed in June 2024 and includes a three-year maintenance support programme, providing a smooth and successful transfer of operational and maintenance knowledge to the George Municipality personnel.
